Russia began voting on Friday in parliamentary elections running until Sunday, with the tightly controlled contest expected to deliver another victory for the ruling United Russia party.
Critics have already described the elections as unfair, while the vote is widely regarded as a test of domestic support for the continued war in Ukraine, now in its fifth year.
President Vladimir Putin has described the elections as a “collective contribution to Russia’s victory” over Ukraine.
United Russia seeks two-thirds majority
United Russia, which has dominated Russian politics for more than two decades, is seeking a two-thirds majority in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament.
The party is aiming for that result despite a severe economic crisis, signs of war fatigue and public dissatisfaction.
Dozens of veterans of the war in Ukraine are standing as United Russia candidates.
More than 110 million Russian citizens are eligible to vote for the Duma’s 450 members.
Opposition excluded from election
Opposition participation has been restricted, with the anti-war Yabloko party barred from contesting the election.
A total of 10 parties are taking part, all of which are described in the report as loyal to the Kremlin and supportive of the war.
The absence of anti-war opposition candidates has fuelled criticism of the electoral process and questions over the competitiveness of the vote.
Voting held in occupied Ukrainian territories
For the first time, Russia is also holding parliamentary voting in Russian-controlled parts of the occupied Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.
Russia claimed to annex the four regions in 2022, although it does not fully control any of them and the annexations are not internationally recognised.
The Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, is participating in Russian parliamentary elections for the second time.
Thousands of other elections under way
Alongside the State Duma contest, voters will elect members of regional parliaments in eight regions.
According to the electoral authorities, around 2,200 elections at different levels of government are taking place between Friday and Sunday.
The outcome of the parliamentary vote is expected to reinforce United Russia’s dominance of the Duma as the Kremlin seeks to demonstrate continued political support at home during the prolonged war in Ukraine.
Source: ANA-MPA
